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"Whate'er we think on't, Forune's but a Toy, / Which cheats the Soul with empty Shows of Joy; / A mere ideal Creature of the Brain, / That reigns the Idol of the Mad and Vain; / Deludes their Senses with a fair Disguise, / And sets an airy Bliss before their Eyes."

— Carter, Elizabeth (1717-1806)

Author

Carter, Elizabeth (1717-1806)

Work Title

[Untitled, from Poems on Particular Occasions]

Place of Publication

London

Date

1738

Metaphor

"Whate'er we think on't, Forune's but a Toy, / Which cheats the Soul with empty Shows of Joy; / A mere ideal Creature of the Brain, / That reigns the Idol of the Mad and Vain; / Deludes their Senses with a fair Disguise, / And sets an airy Bliss before their Eyes."

Metaphor in Context

Nullem Numen habes si sit Prudentia, sed te Nos facimus, Fortuna, Deam, Cœloque locamus. JUV.

Whate'er we think on't, Forune's but a Toy,
Which cheats the Soul with empty Shows of Joy;
A mere ideal Creature of the Brain,
That reigns the Idol of the Mad and Vain;
Deludes their Senses with a fair Disguise,
And sets an airy Bliss before their Eyes.
But when they hope to grasp the glitt'ring Prey,
Th' instable Fantom vanishes away.

So vap'ry Fires mislead unwary Swains,
Who rove benighted o'er the dewy Plains.
Drawn by the faithless Meteor's glimm'ring Ray,
Through devious Paths, and lonely Wilds they stray;
Too late convinc'd their sad Mistake deplore,
And find their Home more distant than before.
(ll. 1-14, p. 15)